Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos Blanco Beach Resort - All Inclusive ★★★★★

Every Suite Faces the Same Water

Pueblo Bonito Blanco is built on a single decision: put every room on the ocean. All 147 suites across five floors face the Sea of Cortes, each with its own terrace, and the building curves to make that possible. The style is Mediterranean by way of Baja, white arches, tiled stairs, a large free form pool with a hot tub set into one edge, and El Medano immediately beyond. The scale is the other half of the story. This is a full size beachfront resort rather than a boutique, with three restaurants, two bars and a sister property next door that supplies the spa and the fitness centre.

Why It Works

We kept it for the combination of beach and town. Medano is where the water in Cabo San Lucas is swimmable, and this is one of the addresses sitting directly on it, with the marina and the Golden Zone close enough to walk in the evening. You can have the resort day, pool, sand and three meals without moving, and still finish the night at a table nobody at the hotel chose for you. The all inclusive plan being optional is the second reason: the suites work perfectly well on a room only basis, and the junior suites with kitchenettes make a longer stay easy.

Why This Location

Playa El Medano, the sheltered arc east of the marina, with Land’s End in the view to the south west. The beach here is public and lively, palapa bars and water sports along its length, calm enough for children. The marina is a walk away, and from it the pangas leave for El Arco and Lovers Beach. Downtown and the Golden Zone restaurants sit just behind. Los Cabos International Airport is the usual transfer, about an hour along the corridor. This is the address for people who want to be in Cabo rather than away from it.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: White, Mediterranean, beachfront, sociable

• Rooms: 147 ocean view suites over five floors, junior suites with kitchenette options, suites and luxury suites with separate living and dining areas

• Best For: Families using the kids club, couples who want the beach and the nightlife in the same day, longer stays in a kitchenette suite

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: That there is no back room, because the building was shaped so every terrace faces the Sea of Cortes

• Dining: Las Palomas for Mexican and international, Cilantro’s for seafood, Casa Mexicana for Argentinian, Italian and Mexican, two bars, pool and beach service

• Amenities: Large free form pool with hot tub, direct Medano Beach access, kids club, spa and salon at the adjacent Pueblo Bonito Rosé, fitness centre next door, optional all inclusive plan

• Attractions: Medano Beach on the doorstep, Cabo San Lucas marina within walking distance, El Arco and Lovers Beach by panga, the Golden Zone restaurants behind the resort

Three Restaurants and a Plan You Can Decline

Las Palomas covers traditional Mexican cooking and the international end, Cilantro’s works the seafood the Sea of Cortes supplies, and Casa Mexicana moves between Argentinian, Italian and Mexican. Two bars and service at the pool and on the sand fill the gaps. The all inclusive package extends to partner properties, which widens the choice considerably across a week, but it is a package rather than a condition. Take the room alone and the palapa kitchens of Medano and the Golden Zone are yours to work through instead.

White Arches, and the Pool at the Centre

The architecture is the Mediterranean register Pueblo Bonito has used along this coast: white masses, arcades, tile and a great deal of shade. The free form pool is the social centre of the property, large enough to hold a full house without feeling crowded. Beyond it the beach starts immediately, which is the practical advantage of building on Medano rather than out on the corridor.

Who Should Book Which Suite

The junior suite is the entry, generous, with a kitchenette option that earns its keep on a stay of a week or more. The standard suite adds room, and the luxury suite separates living and dining from the bedroom, which is the one to take if you are three or four. All of them have terraces and all of them face the water, so the choice is about space rather than outlook. Pets are not accepted.